Process for the manufacture of aritficial sausage skins



i l 1| 1} l '1' i: {I 'i h n 'I ll II I A. BERGMANN PROCESS FOR THEMANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL SAUSAGE SKINS Sept. 30, 1941.

Filed April 5, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet l a f vefifon- Sept. 30, 1941. A.BERGMANN 2,257,222

PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL SAUSAGE SKINS Filegl April 5,1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 a I fnvenfor': m

Sept. 30, 1941. A. BERGMANN 2,257,222

PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL SAUSAGE QKINS Filed April 5,195 :5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Sept. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF I ARTIFICIAL SAUSAGE SKINS ArminBergmann, Haifiburg-Altona, Germany Application April 5, 1939, SerialNo. 266,209v In Germany March 17, 1938 Claims.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to processes for themanufacture of artificial sausage skins.

It is known to manufacture artificial sausage skins of a pasty mass ofanimal or vegetable albuminous substances, in particular underskin thecore.

It has also been proposed in the manufactureof artificial sausage skins,to spray or express a steeped mass of a suitable skin-forming substanceon to the inner surface of a rigid cylindrical hollow mould.

According to a further known method, a steeped mass of a skin-formingsubstance is placed under pressure on the inner surface of a tubularmould which is adapted to be withdrawn from a cylindrical bottomprojection of a storage container and withdrawn in helical formtherefrom.

Such considerable difficulties are experienced, however, in using thismethod that it has not been found. practicable to manufacture sausageskins in actual practice by it.

Finally, it is known to use tubular structuresw of regenerated celluloseas a substitute forintestines in making sausage skins, the tubularstructures being provided with a hardened gelatine coating upon theirinner surfaces.

An object of the present invention is to provide a process for themanufacture of sausage skins from a pasty swollen mass containing waterand albumen, in particular underskin, in a simple manner and without theuse of an annular nozzle or an internal fabric support.

According to the invention, a process for the manufacture of artificialsausage skins consists in forcing a driable and hardenable steeped massof an albuminous substance into a carrier tube composed of an absorbentmaterial and simultaneously passing the tube, together with the steepedmass contained therein, through a constriction and at the same timeforcing compressed air into the tube from the opposite end thereof tothat from which the steeped mass is forced into the tube, so as toeffect an inflation of the tube as it leaves the constriction and causethe steeped .massin the tube to form a skin round the inside-thereof;leaving the skin to dry and harden in position in the tube, with thelatter maintained in an inflated condition during this step; and

stripping the skin from the tube by withdrawing it therefrom.

Further according to the invention, itis preferred that the constrictionshall be of an adjustable width whereby it is possible to control thethickness of the layer of steepedmass which becomes deposited on theinternal surface of the tube as it is traversed through the constrictionwith the steeped mass contained within it. In this connection, it willbe appreciated that the tube as it passes through the constrictionflattens out and thus compresses and distributes the steeped mass withinit evenly as a thin layer over the surface of the tube.

The carrier tube may be composed of any suitable material, convenientlyparchment paper, cellulose paper or a suitable fabric.

Further according to the invention, one or more further layers ofskin-forming material, which may, if necessary, be of a composition notadapted to harden, may be applied on to the first layer after the samehas been permitted to dry and harden in position in the tube.

In order to prevent lumps or the like forming in front of or in theconstriction in the steeped mass in the tube, in consequence ofaccumulation thereof in the tube, while the tube is being passed throughthe constriction, which lumps might cause layers of non-uniformthickness to be applied to the surface of the tube, thus producing asausage skin which is not of uniform thickness and flexibility, thesteepedmass is preferably distributed over the surface of the carriertube at the instant of its passage through the constriction by. beingsubjected to a thorough mixing at this point, this mixing being causedby a lateral displacement of the particles of the steeped mass adheringto the wall of the flattened tube, across the width thereof.

A particular advantage of the process according to the invention is thatit permits the production of very small sausage skins, which has beenpossible only with difficulty if at all by the hitherto known processesin which an albuminous substance is formed into a structure. Anotheradvantage of the process is that it is possiblefor the first time tomake an artificial sausage skin which is an effective substitute fordried gut.

vDried guts are used for making small boiling sausages, for example,saveloys, Vienna sausages and the like. These sausages are not tied atthe ends but are only closed by the twisting of the gut, which isadhesive on the inside. Sausage skins of this type may be make accordingto the present invention, since the invention permits of a plurality oflayers of steeped mass containing albumen to be superimposed upon oneanother on the inside of the carrier tube. To this end, a. first layeris produced in the manner described, using a steeped mass of analbuminous substance which incorporates a hardening agent such, forexample, as formaldehyde. This first layer is then left to harden anddry with the tube in an inflated condition, during which time the layercan-be gently warmed from the outside of the tube. To terminatethehardening process, the excess formaldehyde is converted intohexamethylene-tetramine by the action of gaseous ammonia. The carriertube with the first layer of skin adhering to it is then passed afreshthrough the applying device. This time there is applied in the same waya second layer layer the albuminous substance is devoid of a hardeningagent. The second layer is then alaccommodate around it a flexible tubeto form the carrier tube accumulated in folds; a constriction throughwhich the carrier tube and steeped mass are passed, formed by the spacebetween two mutually opposed members which are preferably adjustabletowards and away from one .another; means for introducing air underpressure into the end of the carrier tube remote from the end from whichthe steeped mass is introduced into the tube, for the inflation thereof;and a device for drawing the carrier tube through the constriction.. Themutually opposed members which form the constriction may convenientlyconsist of an oppositely disposed pair of rigid bars adjustable towardsand away from one another and so shaped as vto provide between them aconstriction through which the carrier tube andits contentsmay be drawn,

In order, however, to effect thedistribution hereinbefore referred to.of the steeped mass over the wall of the flattened tube as this and thesteeped mass are passed through the constriction,

it has beenfound advantageous to use for the formationpf theconstriction a pair of, rollers which are rotatable about their axes andof which one is preferably movable backwards and forwards in an axialdirection during the rotation of the, rollers, for example by aneccentric. In

this event, the other roller may be arranged to move pivotally towardsand away from the first rollerand its normal or operative distance fromthat'roller may be finely adjusted by means of a suitable adjustingdevice, in order to be able suitably to regulate the thickness of theapplied layer of skin-forming material on the flattened wallsof thetube.

The carrier tube, together with the steeped mass therein is carriedbetween the pair of rollers. To the opposite end of the carrier tube tothat from which the steeped mass is introduced into' the constriction,the passage of the carrier tube and its contents through theconstriction is considerably facilitated and assisted, since slidingfriction is replaced by rolling. The roller actuated, for example, bythe eccentric, slides backwards and forwards, so shifting the sides ofthe .of albuminous substance but in the case of this flattened tube asit passes through the constriction. By means of this movement of thesides of the carrier tube, the particles of the steeped -mass within,partly adhering to the sides of the tube or drawn therethrough, arepositively shifted with respect to each other. In this way the formationof lumps or cavities in the layer of skin-forming material on the wallof the tube is avoided and as a result the material is distributedextremely uniformly over the entire surface of the tube.

Owing to the uniform distribution of the material over the inner surfaceof the carrier tube, a much greater strength is attained of the driedartificial sausage skin as compared with the products which areobtainable when the mass is not so intimately admixed in its passagewith the tube through the constriction. Furthermore, the carrier tube isless strained by the provision of the movable rollers than in the casewhere it is simply drawn through a gap between two fixed bars as in thefirst form of the constriction hereinbefore referred to, andconsequentlyit can be used and re-used a greater number of times before it is wornout.

The freedom for pivotal movement or oscillation of one of the rollerstowards and away from the other, which is providedaccording to thepreferred arrangement described, is to enable the rigid jointingsleeve(hereinafter more particularly referred to) of the compressed air pipeto be operation of fitting it on to the upper end of the I carrier tube.The arrangement in this respect is also advantageous astaking intoaccount the possibility of foreign solid bodies gaining access into thecarrier tube in admixture with the pasty mass to' form the skin on thewall thereof. As such hard foreign bodiespass through the constrictionthey have the eifect simply of laterally forcing the oscillatable rolleraway from the other roller so ast'opermit the passageof the foreign bodythrough the constriction without causing 'anytrouble, for example,damage to the carrier tube or 'a blocking'of the constriction.

In order to prevent the 'rollers from being forced apart during thenormal passage past them of the carrier tube with its content ofskin-forming material, by the pressure of the mass within the tube, thebearings of the rollers are preferably held in their adjusted positionby a suitable device, for example, a tension-spring.

By the arrangement of a carrier tube which is provided at its upper andlower ends with rigid sleeves or the like adapted to be screwed, the

fastening or removing of the drawing device from drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of an apparatusconstructedin accordance with the invention, the form of the inventionaccording to this embodiment being one in which the axis of theconstriction and of the carrier tube as it is drawn therethrough ishorizontal and the constriction is constituted by the gap between amutually opposed pair of rigid bars;

Figure 2 is a front view of the constriction of the apparatus shown inFigure 1;

Figure 3 illustrates the manner in which a finished artificial sausageskin produced in accordance with the invention is drawn out of thecarrier tube;

Figure 4 is an elevation of an apparatus in accordance with theinvention, illustrating an embodiment thereof in which the axis of thecarrier tube as it is drawn through the constriction is vertical, theconstriction is constituted by the space between a mutually opposed pairof rollers, and the tube and its contents are drawn through theconstriction by means of a lifting tube pulling upon the end of the tubeand serving at the same time as the compressed air pipe for supplyingair under pressure to the leading end of the carrier tube;

Figure 5 is an enlarged elevation of the pair of rollers forming theconstruction in the apparatus shown in Figure 4, and Y Figure 8 is aplan view of the said rollers, showing an eccentric and other partsassociated with the rollers.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, the steeped mass iscontained in a container I from which it is forced by a piston 2 into anoutlet tube 3. Over the outlet tube 3 is accumulated in folds a carriertube 4 of parchment paper or the like. The steeped mass passes out ofthe tube 3 into the tube 4, together with which it passes through aconstriction formed by the space between two rigid bars 5,6 which areadjustable towards and away from one another by means of adjustingscrews II II. Through this constriction only a limited quantity of thesteeped mass can pass, this quantity being proportional to the width ofthe gap. As the mass passes the constriction, it is pressed out into theform of a thin layer adhering to the flattened wall of the carrier tube.Compressed air is blown into the opposite end of the tube 4, which forthis purpose is firmly connected to a. compressed air pipe I. In thisway, the tube 4 on leaving the constriction is inflated and at the sametime the steeped mass is forced on to the inside of the carrier tube ina uniform layer 8.

After the inside of the whole of the carrier tube 4 has been thus coatedwith the steeped mass and the artificial sausage skin has thereby beenformed in the tube, the two ends of the tube, still inflated withcompressed air, are tied up and the tube is suspended, with applicationif necessary of gentle heating through the wall of the tube, until thelayer 8 on the inside of the tube has hardened and dried. The tube isthen treated with dry ammonia gas and a string line 9 is tied on to oneend of the artificial sausage skin 8 still in the interior of the tube,the string being passed through the tube, as illustrated in Figure 3 ofthe drawings, and the skin 8 being drawn out of the tube thereby.

Before the skin 8 has been removed from the tube I, there can be appliedon to it and by the same general process one or more further layers ofthe steeped mass, as hereinbefore described.

Referring now to Figures 4 to 6, the roller 2' of a pair of rollers I,2' is rotatable in bearings 6' and is held against axial movement by asuittion of the roller.

able tension device, for example, a tension spring 3 and lever 4. Theroller 2 is axially pressed against an eccentric 5 which can be actuatedin a knownmanner by a belt pulley 5". By the rotation of' the eccentricand the tractive effect of the tension device,'there isproduced areciprocating movement of the roller 2' in an axial direc- Opposite theroller 2 is the roller I, which is rotatable in its bearings I but isnot adapted to move axially. This roller I is preferably free tooscillate in a lateral direction perpendicular to its axis about thepivots 'I". The distance between the rollers I', 2' is regulated by anadjusting device, for example, an adjusting screw 8' and stop 9, whilstthe bearing blocks 5, i of the rollers I, 2 are forced together, forexample, by a tension spring IE1.

A carrier tube II is accumulated in folds over a tube 52 leading from acontainer I 3 which is provided with a pressure piston M, the steeped orpasty mass is pressed out of the container !3 through the tube I2 intothe carrier tube II' and passes with this through the constriction whichis constituted by the space between the rollers I, 2. The conveyance ofthe carrier tube H and the mass within it through the constriction iseflected by drawing the tube H upwards by means of a. lifting device I5and a lifting tube I5, the tube I6 serving preferably at the same timeas a compressed air pipe for introducing compressed air into that partof the carrier tube II which has emerged from the constriction betweenthe rollers I, 2. The upper and lower ends of the carrier tube H areprovided with rigid jointing sleeves IT, IS" adapted, fore ample, to bescrewed on.

carrier tube may be composed of any comparatively sensitive materialsuch, for example, as cellulose hydrate, (so-called Cellophane),cellulose acetate, derivatives of cellulose and the like, or of anartificial resin adapted to swell in water or of a hardened albuminoussubstance such, for example, as gelatine.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

1. Process for the manufacture of artificial sausage skins whichcomprises introducing a driable mass of albuminous skin-forming materialwithin the interior of a flexible, flattenable and gas-inflatabletubular member, imparting lengthwise motion to the said tubular memberwith the albuminous material therein, flattening the said tubular memberduring said motion after the albuminous material has been introducedinto said tubular member; conducting a gaseous medium under pressurefrom an external source into the said tubular member during the saidmotion of the tubular member after the flattening'of said tubularmember, in order to inflate the said tubular member; drying the skin ofalbuminous material formed upon the interior of the inflated tubularmember by the foregoing steps, said drying being performed while thetubular member is in inflated condition, and thereafter stripping thedried skin from the interior of said tubular member.

2. Process for the manufacture of artificial sausage skins whichcomprises introducing a driable mass of albuminous skin-forming materialwithin the interior of a flexible, flattenable and gas-inflatabletubular member, imparting lengthwise motion to the said tubular memberwith the albuminous material therein; rolling the said tubular member,containing the said albuminous material, during said motion tofiatthereafter stripping the dried skin from ten said tubular member;conducting a gaseous medium under pressure from an external source intothe said tubular member during the said motion of the tubular memberafter the said rolling of said tubular member, in order to inflate thesaid tubular member; drying the skin of albuminous material formed uponthe interior of the inflated tubular member by the foregoing steps, saiddrying being performed while the tubular member is in inflatedcondition, and

the interior of said tubular member.

3; Process for the manufacture of artificial sausage skins whichcomprises introducing a driable mass of albuminous skin-forming mate-'rial within the interior of a flexible, flattenable and gas-inflatabletubular member, imparting lengthwise motion to the said tubular memberwith the albuminous material therein; flattening the said tubularmember, containing the said albuminous material, during the said motion;shifting laterally the sides of the flattened tubular member; inflatingsaid tubular member with ;a gaseous medium after said flattening andshifting; drying the skin of albuminous material formed upon theinterior of the inflated tube by the foregoing steps, said drying beingperformed while the tubular member is in inflated condition; andthereafter stripping the dried skin f from the interior of said tubularmember.

a gaseous medium under pressure from anrexternal source into the saidtubular member during the said motion of the tubular member after thesaid pressing of said tubular member, in order to inflate the saidtubular member; drying the skin of albuminous material formed upon theinterior of the inflated tubular member by the foregoing steps, saiddrying being performed while the tubular member is in inflatedcondition; and thereafter stripping the dried skin from the interior ofthe said tubular member.

5. Process for the manufacture of artificial sausage skins whichcomprises introducing ;a driable mass of albuminous skin-forming material within the interior of a flexible, flattenable and gas-inflatabletubular member, imparting lengthwise motion to said tubular member withthe albuminous material therein, pressing the said tubular member fromopposite sides during said motion to cause the tubular member to' beflattened with the albuminous material therein,

said pressing being applied at a point a short distance beyond the pointof introduction of said albuminous material, whereby said tubular memberis subjected to said pressing after the introduction therein of saidalbuminous material; shifting laterally the sides of the flattenedtubular member relative to each other at the time of said' pressing;after'said pressing and shifting, introducing a gaseous medium into saidtubular member to inflate it; drying the skin of albuminous materialformed upon the interiorof the inflated tubular member by the foregoingsteps,

